Recently we’ve had a lot of people asking us about Caffeine Free chocolate, so we asked Mary Kinsella at The Gorgeous Chocolate Heart to tell us more about Caffeine in chocolate, and it turns out there’s a BIG difference between Raw chocolate and Roasted chocolate.

Read on to find out which is better if you’re looking for a Caffeine Kick and which is better if you’re looking for a Caffeine Free chocolate high, all according to Mary Kinsella at The Gorgeous Chocolate Heart…

“Is there Caffeine in Chocolate?

This is an interesting one. Raw Cacao contains a bitter alkaloid named Theobromine that is similiar to caffeine but not the same. It is much more gentle on the central nervous system and adrenal systems, and works differently than caffeine in the body.

Technically there is a very small trace % of caffeine in Theobromine (00000.04), which is naturally occuring. So in the main when you eat Raw Chocolate you get a Theobromine “high”, and by the way Theobromine translates as “food of the Gods”.

Raw Cacao is so good for the body and brain as it contains high levels of antioxidants and generous portions of magnesium, iron,chronium, vitamin C and zinc.

Notably when Cacao is processed, roasted, had additives and no longer kept in its raw state, the high nutrient content of the Theobromine is destroyed so you are left with a caffeine “high” and not a lot else!” ”

If you want the caffeine kick get some roasted chocolate, and if you’re looking for a Caffeine Free chocolate indulgence go get the raw stuff! And enjoy it – raw chocolate is much healthier in other ways too, and maybe if we’re lucky we’ll get Mary Kinsella back to tell us more about the health benefits of raw chocolate?

Meantime, if you want to get any raw chocolate for a Caffeine Free Diet or just for a late night treat that won’t disrupt your sleep, check out The Gorgeous Chocolate Heart, where you can get a variety of hand made Raw Chocolates delivered fresh to you from Mary Kinsella .

Paul @FoodAdo

FoodAdo supports UK artisan producers by creating a marketplace where producers can sell direct to hungry UK foodies. If you like FoodAdo, you can register or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

In 2013, foods will be inspired by street vendors, there will be a growth of pop-up eateries in unexpected places, and foods will focus on fresh, locally grown veggie concoctions, demystifying ingredients and catering to people with allergies.

In 2013, foods will be inspired by street vendors, there will be a growth of pop-up eateries in unexpected places, and foods will focus on fresh, locally grown veggie concoctions, demystifying ingredients and catering to people with allergies.

The first ever World Food Night is this Friday (24th Feb)! Its a great chance for food lovers to share something tasty with friends, have fun AND raise cash for refugees in the UK! Have fun? Help the needy? Enjoy fab food with friends? Wow – its got it all!

The way is works is, you cook some delicious food from around the world, invite some folks you know to come round for a meal, and ask them to make a donation for their dinner. You could invite your friends, your family, your work colleagues, or maybe the neighbours!

Celebrity chef and entrepreneur Levi Roots (famous, among other things, for his Reggae Reggae Sauce) has put his voice behind this and we think its a fab idea!

We’d like to extend a huge welcome to the lovely Jennifer Okpapi and her Akhaya Cookery School – London’s first (and only?) cookery school dedicated to bringing the flavours of Africa to the UK.

Jennifer and her Team!

Jennifer’s passion for food developed during her childhood while growing up in a multicultural part of London, where she was exposed to foods from across the world and was always fascinated by food and cookery. According to Jennifer “bringing ingredients together to create something beautiful and delicious that can be enjoyed always bring me joy” and so in 2009 Jennifer’s passion took shape in setting up the Akhaya Cookery School.

Jennifer realised there was nowhere for people to actually learn to cook African food

Noticing a growing number of restaurants specialising in regions across Africa, Jennifer realised there was nowhere for people to actually learn to cook African food, and so Jennifer decided to focus her cookery school business on African food, highlighting their amazingly delicious and diverse flavours, while bringing African food to the mainstream.

Jennifer creates great tasting food by using the highest quality ingredients and believes “using great ingredients is part of the fun of cooking and the easiest way to ensure great results.”As well as running a cookery school, Jennifer has developed her own unique range of hand made spice blends, with many organic and fairtrade ingredients, and this is where Akhaya Cookery School and FoodAdo have come together.

When Jennifer contacted us about opening a shop n FoodAdo we asked her to send us some samples so we could try them out ourselves and put them to the “FoodAdo Taste Test”.

We LOVE the tasting part of our work here, and Akhaya Spice Blends were no different.

Jollof Rice is a very popular dish in most of West Africa, especially Nigeria and Ghana. Based on rice, tomatoes and usually meat or fish, this dish is rumoured to be the origin of Cajun jambalaya and originates from the Wolof people of Senegal and Gambia. The hand-made Jollof Spice blend is a delicious combination of tomatoes, garlic, onions and spices, expertly blended in just the right quantities to add depth of flavour and make a delicious Jollof Rice dish.

Created out of Jennifer’s love for suya (a West African style grilled meat), the Suya Spice Blend is a tasty combination of roasted peanuts, spices and chillies makes for an excellent dry rub for red meat. We made a seasoning paste with a little olive oil and Suya Spice Blend and coated some tuna steaks, leaving them overnight to marinade before throwing them under a very hot grill for just a few minutes on either side. The result? Sheer taste sensation!!!! The Suya Spice Blend has become a bit of a favourite of mine (and helped me impress my girlfriend with a really tasty and super easy home cooked “dinner in”) – perfect for these tough times!

Jennifer has managed to put her personal stamp on traditional recipes and to make them even more tasty, and is rightly very proud of her products and thinks they are absolutely delicious. We’d have to agree with that!

Happy eating!

Paul @FoodAdo

FoodAdo supports UK artisan producers by creating a marketplace where producers can sell direct to hungry UK foodies. If you like FoodAdo, you can register or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Perfect for these colder nights, as winter takes hold, this Hot Chocolate is smooth and full of delicious flavours, with a little African kick to heat you up! Jennifer from Akhaya Cookery School has given us her unique African twist on Cocoa & Chilli Hot Chocolate….

Ingredients: (Serves two chilly people)

Method

1.Split vanilla pod and scrape out seeds by running a knife along the inside of the pod. Leave aside.2.Add milk to pan with sugar. Place on a medium heat for 2 – 3mins.3.Break chocolate into pieces and add to milk along with vanilla and cinnamon. Stir continuously. Reduce to a low heat.4.Once chocolate has melted, add chilli flakes and stir.5.Leave hot chocolate to stand for 2minutes to infuse, then strain and serve!

Jennifer’s “Chef Secrets”…

For extra loveliness, finish with some whipped cream and a grating of nutmeg.Soya, almond or oat milk are great replacements for vegans or those that are lactose-intolerant.

Enjoy – and keep warm!!

Paul @FoodAdo

FoodAdo supports UK artisan producers by creating a marketplace where producers can sell direct to hungry UK foodies. If you like FoodAdo, you can register or follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Akhaya’s Cocoa & Chilli Hot Chocolate

Perfect for these colder nights, as winter takes hold, this Hot Chocolate is smooth and full of delicious flavours, with a little African kick to heat you up!

(Serves two chilly people)

Ingredients:

50g Fairtrade Ghanaian chocolate (approximately 70% cocoa)

1 litre whole milk

¼ teaspoon Akhaya Scotch Bonnet chilli flakes

1 tablespoon light muscovado sugar

½ vanilla pod

½ cinnamon stick

Method

Split vanilla pod and scrape out seeds by running a knife along the inside of the pod. Leave aside.

Add milk to pan with sugar. Place on a medium heat for 2 – 3mins.

Break chocolate into pieces and add to milk along with vanilla and cinnamon. Stir continuously. Reduce to a low heat.

Once chocolate has melted, add chilli flakes and stir.

Leave hot chocolate to stand for 2minutes to infuse, then strain and serve!

Chefs’ Secrets…

For extra loveliness, finish with some whipped cream and a grating of nutmeg

Soya, almond or oat milk are great replacements for vegans or those that are lactose-intolerant

This morning I arranged to send a small mountain of chocolate to Jayne for winning the competition we sponsored on a magazine. She’s going to receive “The Chocolate Box” which will be despatched fresh and direct from Damian Allsop in the next day or so. I just know she’s gonna love it – its not just a box of chocolates – its a box-of-boxes of chocolates!!!!!! Anyway, it got me to thinking a bit about Damian Allsop, who I was chatting to just a few days ago and is I believe one of, if not THE greatest chocolatier in the UK right now.

I first met Damian and tasted his fabulous chocolates last year at the Xmas Chocolate Festival at London’s Southbank (if you’re London based perhaps you saw there last weekend?). I was lucky enough to be invited to meet him and his team (including Christain and the lovely Anna) at his chocolate workshop where every chocolate is hand made with passion in small batches. I got to taste so many different flavours and left with a little bag of samples and wore a chocolate smile for days!

As well as being an artist of the highest calibre in his field and leading a revolution in chocolate in the UK, Damian Allsop is also a really good solid genuine guy. Basically Damian Allsop has re-invented chocolate as we know it, by using water to unlock the true flavour of chocolate. He has removed the cream and butter used by all other UK chocolatiers and pastry chefs, to creat the best tasting chocolates (thats’s certainly my opinion!), giving a purer, lighter and fresh tasting chocolate that is unlike any other. They are also served in the country’s top Michelin restaurants, and his creations are really changing the way we appreciate and understand the flavour of chocolate.

But don’t take my word for it (clearly I AM biased) here are a few quotes:

“This is what truffles should taste like.” (Angela Hartnett, M.B.E.) “I have never tasted anything like it.” (Alison Hepworth in Get Reading, July 2009) “I am absolutely flabbergasted.” (Lucy Cavendish in Observer Food Monthly, November 2008)

You can find out all about Damian Allsop and what makes his chocolates so special right here: http://FoodAdo.com/damianallsop Click on “Read full story” to get all the details.

The Coffee Fairy just got back from a travel in Nicaragua. She is familiar with the place because that is where all her coffee beans come from and that is where she is helping with a beautiful children school.